“We have all waited 14 years for this sport,” modder Badass Baboon says of the unique Crimson Useless Redemption, when it lastly arrived on PC on the finish of final month.
“My pleasure was via the roof, although with the datamined info from the Swap/PS4 model, we just about had affirmation {that a} PC model existed someplace. Nothing may spoil my pleasure after I lastly acquired to play and mod the sport on PC.”
For this modder, who tells me that “the compelling story and character growth” of the fashionable Crimson Useless collection, in addition to “the ‘closing frontier’ vibes” each John Marston and Arthur Morgan’s adventures share are what draw them most to Rockstar’s westerns, RDR1 lastly arriving was an opportunity to deliver ‘Actuality Redemption’ to a contemporary platform. Badass Baboon had began work on this overhaul mod again in 2023 for the Xbox 360 model of RDR, and has since created variations for each the Nintendo Swap and now PC variations as they’ve been launched.
Their objective with the challenge is to remaster the sport in their very own method, bringing it nearer to fashionable requirements. They’ve been busy revamping the visuals by tweaking issues like “textures, fashions, and climate cycles”, in addition to “fixing continuity errors”, and looking for to offer “a extra fluid and real looking expertise” gameplay-wise. It’s nonetheless a piece in progress at present, however the modder’s already carried out sufficient substantial tweaks that the model of Actuality Redemption on Nexus Mods is presently essentially the most endorsed RDR PC mod on the platform. Its simply over 10,000 complete downloads as of writing aren’t far off prime spot both, solely trailing a few different widespread works.
“I’ve beforehand modded Want for Velocity and GTA video games and was in search of a contemporary problem,” Badass Baboon tells me after I ask what impressed them to start out the challenge. “I discovered the Crimson Useless Redemption 1 modding group relatively area of interest and pleasant. Modding this sport was considerably acquainted since it is also on the Rage engine, which I’ve expertise with, having beforehand modded [GTA 4 and 5], however on the similar time very totally different since it is the San Diego department of the engine, and never the Rockstar North one. It was actually a enjoyable problem studying and understanding how otherwise San Diego tailor-made the engine for his or her video games.”
One other problem they’ve confronted is hopping from platform to platform, with the 360 proving the hardest buyer. “The file codecs had been onerous to analysis and perceive, not to mention mod, quite a lot of workarounds and methods had for use to make a functioning mod on the size of Actuality Redemption on Xbox 360,” they inform me. “[The] majority of texture replacements would both break or crash the sport, however enhancing configuration recordsdata labored high quality.
“With the discharge of the Swap model, the file codecs had been virtually similar to GTA IV, and with much more analysis and understanding behind that, modding that model grew to become far simpler and streamlined, a single software may handle virtually all the things, each texture from character fashions to buildings grew to become attainable to edit. And the PC model turned out to be a 1:1 copy of the Swap model, as recordsdata that I’ve beforehand modded for the Swap model may very well be interchangeably used between PC and Swap.”
Like quite a lot of high-profile builders, Rockstar has an fascinating and sophisticated historical past in the case of the way it’s chosen to work together with these modding its video games. There’s been some takedowns, some full-blown lawsuits, after which final yr, the corporate electing to deliver on board the group behind the favored FiveM and RedM roleplaying mods. Given Badass Baboon can also be growing for the Swap, which has had a number of emulators stop operation following motion from Nintendo this yr, I requested the modder whether or not both of these had influenced how they’ve approached or felt about their work on Actuality Redemption.
“I would all the time deliberate to maintain the mod beneath the radar till a PC model [of Red Dead Redemption] got here out,” they responded. “I may solely speculate what Rockstar and Take-Two would do, and realizing their litigious background to the purpose of DMCAing a save file, I assumed the worst. All the time felt a shadowy presence, I did not know if what I am doing is taboo or not, however I by no means stopped engaged on the challenge. I averted together with any unique sport recordsdata and refused to backport property from different Rockstar titles to keep away from any potential points. Fortunately, the mod continues to be up.”
Since that’s the case, the modder’s busy engaged on their plans for the mod, which embrace making additions and alterations designed to assist fill the gaps that exist lore-wise between the unique Crimson Useless, which famously doesn’t even point out Arthur Morgan’s identify, and its prequel Crimson Useless Redemption 2.
“I plan to switch the sport world and the audio to incorporate extra references to the world and occasions of RDR2, with out taking something out of the unique sport’s really feel/ambiance,” Badass Baboon says. “It will likely be something from small references comparable to work of RDR2’s West Elizabeth, Grizzlies, and Lemoyne within the MacFarlanes’ home – which is within the newest model of the mod by the way in which – to one thing main with AI voice appearing the place characters will straight reference occasions and characters [from] RDR2.”
For the reason that latter would doubtless contain utilizing the controversial tech to generate strains that mimic the voices of the sport’s established voice actors, one thing a number of skilled VAs have voiced sturdy opposition to or issues about, I requested the modder for his or her tackle the problem, in addition to whether or not they plan to think about any options. For instance, remixing present strains from the sport to kind new ones, a way quite a lot of additional dialogue mods for video games like Skyrim – typically from AI-averse or sceptical modders – have used.
“For those who’ve seen, many content material creators have used AI instruments to make their favorite characters sing a well-liked track or say sure issues on YouTube, Tiktok, and different locations, with very correct outcomes,” they responded, “Contemplating they’ve by no means gotten into sizzling water for any of that, I do not assume individuals would complain for a number of voice line edits. After all, there’s additionally the likelihood to make use of voice property from RDR2 and blend new strains, or simply the strains from the unique sport, however to various ranges of success. Whereas there are different strategies like I discussed, I nonetheless have to check and see if AI may even ship the genuine tone that I am in search of. If not, then I am going to look into remixing present recordings.”
We’ll should see what the long run finally ends up holding for Actuality Redemption and the Crimson Useless Redemption’s PC modding scene as a complete. In any case, the port hasn’t been right here lengthy in any respect, and little question loads of cowboys are nonetheless both nostalgically making their method up its trails whereas deciding what they may wish to attempt including, or are downing their final rounds in one other sport’s saloon earlier than hopping on the practice to Armadillo.
